Picnic Recipes

These charming finger sandwiches were probably the only thing I could have prepared in the tiny kitchen of the Roman apartment we rented while in the capital city of Italy last week. But it didn't stop me for preparing yummy sandwiches for Aria and me, using local products such as ricotta pannarella and black Angus bresaola meat.

Bresaola is salted lean and succulent beef that is air-dried until the meat turns dark red. It originated from the Lombardy region in Northern Italy. And I first discovered out-of-this-world ricotta pannarella while ordering a cheese platter in a restaurant in Rome. We asked the waiter to give us his best selection and I have to admit it sure was! Now I'm just hoping I'll be able to find some back in the US!

I prepared the finger sandwiches with crust-free, sliced white bread, a mixture of caramelized fennel and ricotta, sliced cucumbers and of course, freshly-made mozzarella cheese and delicious bresaola meat.

Yesterday was a day filled with special events. As you may know, it was Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Inauguration Day and I made sure the entire festivities were recorded on my DVR. But if you’re involved in the specialty food business, yesterday was important for another reason. It was the second day of the Winter Fancy Food Show at Moscone Center in San Francisco.

It's the second year in a row I’ve attended this event, and I've had so much fun discovering what the latest food trends are. I can't wait to share with you what I've learned! I also met the manufacturers of some of my favorite products, such as California Lavash. They are a bread company that just went through a beautiful design makeover in which I participated.

It was great to see Lilea and the California Lavash team at booth #503 (you can still see them today), and I was so proud of how the backdrop turned out. I food-styled all the dishes and the photos were my contribution to the new look of this delicious product.

It seemed only fitting to share one of the delicious sandwiches featured at the California Lavash booth. I selected the tuna melt, which is perfect choice for the season. A combination of tuna, artichoke, olives and cheese is the filling of the delicious warm sandwich. Give this a try with California Lavash Sangak bread and you won't be disappointed! Sangak bread is a sesame-studded Persian bread that is part of their new flatbread product line. You'll be able to see the new packaging design in stores in a few months.

My morning ritual of working out, listening to the French radio via podcast and reading the messages on PhamFatale.com has grown by one activity; gathering the ripe fruits and vegetables from our garden. The past few weeks we've had gorgeous, sweet apples, which my baby Aria has fully enjoyed. I usually end up with a little leftover apple sauce, which I used to make these panini sandwiches.

After this long weekend, my husband's youngest sister is heading back to school (she's entering third grade already!), so I packed her lunch and prepared a hot sandwich that can also be eaten cold. Balsamic roasted chickenbreast strips, smeared with the aforementioned leftover homemade apple sauce and cheddar cheese are nestled between two slices of pizza lavash. With a little grilling and pressing, you'll have a panini that is packed with flavor and pretty healthy to boot. This is one "back to school" sandwich you may start packing for yourself as well.

The idea for this Mediterranean salad was inspired by finding fiddlehead ferns at my local market last week. The tight coil of the young fern is very similar to cappelletti pasta and I thought mixing them would make a pretty dish playing with odd shapes and colorful ingredients. This week I was able to buy the pasta but unfortunately the market doesn't carry fiddleheads anymore. It didn't stop me from making a delicious dish... I just substituted beautiful haricots verts in place of the fiddleheads.

I combined the coil-shaped pasta with red onions, carrots and celery that I received this evening from Full Circle and heirloom tomatoes from our garden. To the summer pasta salad, I also added garbanzo beans, hearts of palm, olives, pickled grape leaves and sun-dried tomatoes to complete the one-dish meal. No ingredient is irreplaceable; you can always substitute in an equally delicious element. All that really matters is a visually appealing and tasty dish.

I almost forgot to mention that all PhamFatale readers will get $10 off for your first box order from Full Circle. If you're interested, use the promo code SOCIAL10 upon sign-up. Bon appétit and enjoy farm fresh, organic vegetables!

Cold pasta salad is usually made with mayonnaise dressing. One member of my family is allergic to eggs, so this recipe suits her perfectly; as no eggs are used. Even though there are no eggs, I wanted the dressing to be creamy and flavorful, so I mixed in goat cheese with the usual vinaigrette ingredients. For a little extra kick, I added onions cooked down in white balsamic vinegar.

I used cork-screw-shaped pasta, but any other shape such as bowties, shells or penne would work as well. In addition to the diced tomatoes and steamed zucchini, I added black lentils and pan-seared tofu to give this vegetarian pasta dish some protein. Cooking does not always have to be complicated. If you have fresh ingredients and a lot of love, you’ll have a wonderful meal. Bon appétit!